


Going Camping

by XOXOS24



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allisaac, Bonfire, Camping, F/M, Flirting, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Fun, McCall Pack, Oh so fluffy, Road Trips, Sharing a Bed, Sharing a Room, Stydia, Summer, Swimming, scira - Freeform, smores
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-18
Updated: 2016-08-17
Packaged: 2018-07-24 20:09:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7521406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/XOXOS24/pseuds/XOXOS24
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The McCall Pack takes a road trip to a cabin in the words where Stiles and Lydia might just have to confront their feelings for each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part One

**Author's Note:**

> So this is actually the latest installment in The Collection and I worked really hard on it last summer but I got no responses to it and I thought it was one of my better updates. So I decided to post it as a stand alone to see how it would do. Hope you like it. Please leave comments and kudos if you do like it! :)

Packing for a camping trip was not something Lydia Martin ever imagined that she’d be doing. Scott had tried to sell it as a pack bonding experience and a vacation away from all the craziness for a little while. Sleeping on the ground in a tent though, was not something Lydia considered to be a vacation. 

The idea hadn’t really appealed to her but with enough prodding and coaxing form the rest of her pack she figured she would never hear the end of it if she didn’t go. Plus Stiles and his puppy dog eyes paired with his best “Come on Lydia, it will be fun” speech, that was hard to turn down, even though she totally could have if she wanted to.

She kind of hated to admit it to herself, but the truth was Lydia was totally falling for Stiles. And she kind of had been for quite some time if she was being completely honest. She had always knew he was in school but they barley ever talked after elementary school. Oh but now, but now he was probably one of the most important people in her life. He was for sure one of her favorite people to spend time with, even if he was annoying and hyperactive. And lately they had been spending a lot of time together, not always for supernatural crisis’s either but for study sessions or going to see the latest Marvel movie. It was just easy to be with him.

He had broken up with Malia months ago now and Lydia had thought maybe something would have happened between her and Stiles now. It was August now and they had broken up in February. During all of her free time in the summer they had spent together and she knew they were getting closer but still nothing about their status had changed and no expressions of feelings had happened. But they still had fun together and always flirting even when it was unintentional. She didn’t hate the way things currently were between the two of them. Flirting was fun, but she was just wondering if it was ever going to more than that. 

Lydia wasn’t too interested in the whole camping thing but knowing that they were going to be staying in cabin for the weekend made the idea a little bit more bearable. And it would be nice to hang out with her friends, sans supernatural creatures. She also might have been looking forward to flirting with Stiles some more. Maybe she would finally figure out if he was actually interested in her.

Currently her biggest problem though was deciding what to pack. She had no idea what outfits to wear or what other supplies she would possibly need. Her normal attire really didn’t seem like too appropriate camping wear. She just decided to pack what seemed the most suitable for the excursion and she might have even made sure they made her look pretty good too. Even if she wasn’t going to be wearing her normal attire of skirts and dresses, didn’t mean she couldn’t be cute in a tank top and shorts combinations.

Once Lydia had packed everything she could think she would possibly need while still trying to pack lightly she decided to turn in to prepare for the early morning wake up that would come all too soon. As she set her alarm for the morning and checked her Twitter feed one last time before bed she hoped that all of her apprehensions about roughing it wouldn’t come to fruition. 

The morning came earlier than Lydia had wanted and she tried to soak up the feeling of her comfortable bed before she willed herself to get up and get a hot shower to help wake her up. But the thought of spending time with Stiles all weekend was kind of making her excited, not that she would admit it to anyone. Once she was dressed and ready, she headed downstairs to grab something to eat before the trip. She cautiously carried her suitcase down the steps and wondered if maybe she had over packed, but she didn’t let the thought linger for long before grabbing a yogurt from the fridge. 

A few minutes later the doorbell rang and her best friend Allison was on the other side, along with her boyfriend Isaac Lahey. The two had been dating for quite some time and Lydia was glad to see that Allison and Scott were both able to be happy for themselves and each other dating new people. Although Lydia knew it was only a matter of time before those two found their way back to each other. 

“Oh hi guys! Here come inside.” Lydia encouraged her friends by opening the door wider so they could move past and come into the house. Her two friends stepped into the house and Lydia led them into her living room. “Here we can sit while we wait for everyone else.”

“So are you excited about the trip yet Lydia?” Isaac questioned with a glint in his eye, remembering how much of a fight she had put up.

“Definitely not, apprehensive is still the best word to use. I can’t believe I let you all talk me into this.” She rolled her eyes, to sell her disgust, hoping they wouldn’t sense the tiny bit of excitement running though her. To her that would mean that they had won in their attempt to get her hyped for the trip and Lydia was not interested in losing anything.

“I’m sure you’re going to have an amazing time Lydia. It’s not that bad, I mean we are staying in a cabin, it won’t exactly being roughing it.” Allison offered, trying to not make the trip seem so bad.

“Yeah I know but everyone is coupled up, you two, Scott and Kira, I know Malia and Theo have something going on, and all of us on one place, we’re bound to run out of hot water.” She argued back at her best friend.

“Not everyone is coupled up Lydia. Mason, Liam, and Cora are all single, and so is Stiles.” Allison was sure to say Stiles’ name with a wink in Lydia’s direction and she waited for a reaction but Lydia let nothing show, she just huffed out a breath of air and pretended hearing Stiles’ name hadn’t affected her. Allison has suspected Lydia was starting to catch feelings for Stiles but the strawberry blonde had yet to confess anything to her yet. For now she was dropping hints but pretty soon she was going to have to just outright ask her friend about it.

“Yeah Lydia I’m sure you can find someone to hang out with while the rest of us are somewhere making out.” Isaac added before leaning down to give Allison a peck on the lip for effect, both with wide grins covering their faces afterwards.

Lydia rolled her eyes in disgust. “All I know is that I better not ever feel like a third wheel.” 

“I think you’ll be alright.” Allison smiled; knowing Stiles would always be there following her around, there was no way she was going to be feeling like a third wheel.

The three of them were soon interrupted by the doorbell again and Lydia went to go see who it was. When she opened it she found Scot and Stiles on the other side. She tried not to let her eyes linger too much on how good Stiles was looking in just jeans and a in one of his stupid blue teen shirts that was making his eyes pop particularly.

“Hey Lydia, are ready for the trip yet?” Stiles joked, knowing how much of a protest she had put up when they had been planning for the trip. It earned him an eye roll, but he would have been surprised if it hadn’t.

“Here Stiles, since your so excited to get going, why don’t you go and pack my suitcase?” She told him wheeling her suitcase over to him as well as her cosmetic bag that Stiles swore was heavier than her suitcase with all of her clothes and shoes. 

“What is in here? Bricks?” He asked with overdramatic movements as he pretended like he was incapable of transporting the bags as he started off in the direction of her driveway.

“Yes Stiles, I packed bricks for our camping trip.” She said grabbing her purse from the hallway table. 

“You know I could have just carried it.” Scott said.

“Yeah but it is more fun this way isn’t it?” She inquired and Scott couldn’t argue. 

“Everyone else should be here in a few minutes, maybe we should get Allison and Isaac’s packed into the cars.” Scott suggested.

She nodded. “Alright, I’ll go tell them and then I’ll lock up.” Scott agreed and Lydia went into the living room to tell her friends it was almost time to go.

After Allison and Isaac had went to get their bags out of her car, Lydia made sure to lock the front door before strolling down the path to her driveway. Everyone who was going on the trip was now there in the driveway and they looked like they were having a somewhat heated discussion. “What’s going on?” Lydia asked Kira as she came up on the group and saw Stiles with an annoyed look on his face.

“No one can decide on who’s riding with who.” Kira giggled at how trivial the issue was.

“You would think with all the crap we’ve dealt with, figuring out who is going in what car should be a lot easier.” Lydia responded.

“You would think.” The issue was that while everyone was friends, no one exactly wanted to spend a few hours in the car trapped with their ex and their new significant other. Eventually it was decided that Malia and Cora would be riding in Theo’s truck. Scott and Kira would be taking Liam and Mason with them in Kira’s car. And Allison and Isaac would be riding with Stiles, who was very unimpressed with the idea of having to be around Isaac that long.

“Okay fine, if I’m taking that thing with me,” Stiles said, pointing to Isaac who glared at him incuriously, “then I’m taking Lydia too, she’s the only thing that’s going to stop me from killing him.” He was half joking, half serious.

Lydia hoped she wasn’t blushing and tried not to read too much into what he had said. “Yeah that’s probably true, he doesn’t really listen to anyone else.” She said to the group and no one could really disagree with her.

“Alright now that everyone knows what’s going, I think we should probably get going.” Scott said and everyone agreed and began to clamor in their respective vehicles. 

The ride was about three hours without counting the stop early on in the trip for a bathroom break and to load up on gas and snacks. Lydia actually enjoyed the ride to the cabin. It had been pretty relaxing apart from the two times Stiles and Isaac started to argue about something no one else would ever argue about. But once Lydia and Allison had intervened the argument was able to be quelled, even if their annoyance with each other didn’t quite subside. But it probably never would.

Other than the bickering between Isaac and Stiles it was a fairly relaxing ride. Lydia had ridden shotgun the entire way and had been given control of the music and there were hardly any complaints. Stiles complained when she put on the classic summer jam “Call Me Maybe” but she had heard him singing along to it under his breath and she couldn’t help but smile. 

After three hours of driving they had finally made it to the cabin. The outside wasn’t anything spectacular but the inside was a lot better than she had expected. The group had begun to file out of their respective vehicles and as quickly as possible and tried to find the best room possible. Lydia was slower at getting inside, everyone had rushed inside before she could even realize. She trailed behind everyone, annoyed that she had went to get her suitcase while everyone else had run into claim a room. So unfair.

The first room she walked by had been claimed by Cora, a room with two twin beds. Next she walked by a room with two sets of bunk beds and Liam and Mason we’re already getting comfortable. If she didn’t find a room she was going to end up in there and that was not a place she wanted to be. She liked them enough, but she wasn’t interested in sharing a room with two, possibly three teenage boys if Theo didn’t find a room, two younger than her. Boys her age were immature; she didn’t need them any younger. She guessed if she had to, she could stay with Cora but she was really hoping for a queen sized. She wished Allison wasn’t paired off with Isaac, she wouldn’t have minded sharing a room with her.

The next room she found was being claimed by Allison and Isaac. Great. She came upon the next bedroom and Kira and Scott were looking quite comfortable. Damn. She needed to find that last room ASAP. She quickened her pace and came upon the last room and it was empty. “Yes!” But before she could even finish the word Stiles came out of the connected bathroom. “No.” She pouted.

At that moment Theo and Malia walked past the doorway and groaned seeing that it was already claimed. “Damn it!!! Stiles can we please have this room?” Malia asked upset they had not gotten there first.

“Hell no, this room is way better than a room I have to share with two sophomores.” Stiles responded and Lydia just watched the encounter. She figured she should start sucking up to Cora. 

“Guess we’re not staying together.” Malia frowned looking up at Theo. 

“I guess I’ll stay with Liam and Mason. There’s an extra bed in there.”

“I think I’ll stay with Cora.” Malia decided as her and Theo shuffled out slightly annoyed. Even she knew it was better to share a room with her cousin than a room with three teenage boys, even if the object of her affection was one of them. But this meant that was the only bed left. In the boy’s room… great. 

“So you’re definitely claiming the room then?” She asked, just knowing if she should truly accept her fate.

“Definitely” He said looking around and admiring the room. She nodded and sighed before moving to exit. “I mean…unless you want to stay here.” 

She quickly whipped her head around at the suggestion. “Really you’re offering me the room?” She questioned slowly moving closer to where he was standing. Was he serious? Damn maybe she underestimated how much he liked her.

“Yeah I mean, you probably should have it. It’s probably better I stay with those guys; you know they need someone to be in charge. I think I’m a suitable candidate.” He was half joking, half serious.

“But you hate Theo.” Lydia countered, she wanted the room but she wanted to make sure he was actually okay with it.

“Yeah I must really like you then huh?” He joked it came out way more serious than he had intended it to be. 

Lydia tried not to bring attention to it. “Well why don’t we both just stay in here?” The idea had come to her and before she could even process it, it slipped out of her lips.

“Aren’t you trying to avoid staying in the same room as teenage boys?”

“Yeah but there is only one of you.”

“Something my father is thankful for every day.” He said, causing them both to chuckle and Lydia to roll her eyes. She was doing that a lot today. Well she felt like she did it a lot every day.

“Seriously though, you can stay here, I won’t mind. I mean only if you want to of course. It’s probably better than the other room though. I probably smell a lot better.”

“That’s probably true.” He agreed with a nod of the head. He weighed the options in his head; no doubt he wanted to stay in a room with Lydia for the weekend. He still liked loved her still and he didn’t want this to be a situation where he was taking advantaged but she was offering. He wanted to be sure he wasn’t doing it for the wrong reasons but he also really didn’t want to be sleeping in the same room as the guy his ex was currently hooking up with. Things with Lydia had just been so good lately and he was just worried that this could make thigs weird or awkward, but maybe it could move things in the right direction, but only if that’s what she wanted. He’d dated Malia but he still was head over heels for Lydia, he just knew how to handle himself now, for the most part. And he only wanted to be with her if she wanted to be with him, it had to be mutual. But maybe this was a good first step. “Okay. I’ll stay.”

“Fantastic, but the price is retrieving my bags from your Jeep.” She plopped down on the bed and gave him a signature Lydia smile and he feigned annoyance but honestly he was happy to do it.

“Alright, fine. I guess that’s fair.” He huffed as he exited the room but once he had walked into the hall he couldn’t wipe the grin off his face. He was going to be willingly sharing a bedroom with Lydia Martin for a weekend. Fourteen year old him would be so proud of him right now. 

When Stiles left the room Lydia finally exhaled in relief. Trying to be subtle was kind of hard. This would be interesting to say the least. They had fallen asleep in his bed together on a few occasions but those were accidents…most of the time. She just hoped he was still interested or otherwise this was all going to hurt because she really was falling. Even if she didn’t want to, she wasn’t interested in getting hurt and that seemed to happen every time she fell for someone This felt different though, this seemed so deep and therefore scarier. But this weekend seemed like the perfect time to test the waters more than she normally would. No supernatural emergencies to distract from leisure. She just hoped she was reading his vibes correctly. Maybe this could be better than anything that she’s had before. Maybe.


	2. Part Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The second and final part of this small fic! Hope you enjoy!

The cabin itself was pretty decent sized and not to run down like Lydia had envisioned it would be. There was a large living room with a big screen television, a room with a pool table and air hockey along with another couch and television. Each room had an en-suite bathroom; two of the rooms had a shared bathroom between the two. The back had a large deck and a hot tub that looked out to the lake behind the cabin. Once all the vehicles had been unloaded people began to disperse. Everyone wanted to go exploring and went their separate ways, agreeing to meet back later so they could order some pizza for dinner from somewhere in the nearby small town. 

Lydia decided to throw on one of her swim suits and hang back with Kira so they could work on their tans while everyone else decided to go exploring the rocks and the woods that surrounded the cabin. Lydia was thankful that Kira was also satisfied by just lounging around the lake while everyone else was being adventurous. Lydia really enjoyed Kira’s company in general and how laid back the girl was. She was glad that if Scott and Allison couldn’t be together, that Scott had Kira. They were both awkward and adorable, and Allison herself was okay with it. It was nice to see that everyone could stand to be around each other without things getting too awkward. Lydia could understand why they didn’t all drive up in the same vehicle together though. No matter how well they all got along, that probably would be awkward.

“So how are things going with you and Scott?” Lydia asked her friend as they both lay out on the sand just outside the edge of the lake.

“Really amazing,” She smiled than paused. “At least I think so. I’ve never really had a serious boyfriend before.” She said a bit sheepishly.

“Well from an outsider’s perspective it seems like it’s going really well, if that information helps any.” Lydia offered.

“Actually that is reassuring, oddly enough.” Kira giggled back at her friend. “So how’s your romantic life Lydia? I know there’s got to be someone you’re interested or who is at least interested in you.” The raven haired girl prodded. 

Lydia tried to be careful and calculated about her answer. Part of her just wanted to confess her feelings because dealing with them on her own was kind of exhausting. But part of her didn’t want anyone to know anything. Lydia was not one of those people who liked to be open about her relationships but for some reason with Stiles she just wanted to be talking about it all the time and that made her feel incredibly vulnerable. Being open and honest is what caused pain and heartbreak. 

“Oh I don’t know…”

“Really? I thought I sensed something going on with you and someone else.” Kira replied casually and Lydia really appreciated that. She knew Allison meant well when she would try to talk to Lydia about Stiles but it felt pushy sometimes. She appreciated that Kira didn’t put as much pressure on the idea and that made Lydia more willing to open up.

“Well I mean, I can’t believe I’m admitting this right now…but I think I like Stiles. And I mean I think I really like him.” Lydia told her friend honestly as she moved to a sitting position. She felt kind of bad that maybe she wasn’t telling Allison this. She would eventually but right now no one else was around, unlike when Isaac was there that morning, and Kira was just so easy to talk to. 

Kira mirrored Lydia’s stance and moved to sit up as well. “Well that’s good. You already get along really well and I think you two hold hands more than Scott and I.” 

Lydia tried not to blush at the comment. Kira was right; she and Stiles were always holding hands or brushing up against each other but it was all natural and never usually on purpose unless she was in need of comfort. But it usually didn’t have a reason. It was like they were magnets, it’s almost like they were naturally drawn to each other. 

“I don’t know what to do. He’s just so different than any other guy I’ve ever liked. I think I might love him and that scares me so much. Because I think I would give him every part of me and if he could just break my heart so easily. I’ve been hurt before but I can’t even think about how bad it would hurt if he broke up with me…I mean. I don’t know why I even said that, we aren’t dating.”

“But you could. I don’t think Stiles would ever hurt you Lydia.” Kira countered.

“Probably not but it is still terrifying to think about. And it could be so awkward if we were dating because of Malia being in the pack and everything.” Lydia bit her bottom lip, deep in thought about possibilities and ‘what ifs’.

It took a lot for Kira not to outright laugh at the last thing her friend had said. “Lydia… I think Malia would be fine with it. She is the walking definition of moved on, you have nothing to worry about there, I promise you.” Malia was all over Theo and practically forgot anyone else existed, including Stiles. There was no bad blood between the exes whatsoever and Lydia definitely shouldn’t use that as an excuse not to pursue Stiles. 

“What if he doesn’t like me anymore?” Lydia was already feeling vulnerable and insecure because he just meant so much to her and the possibility of getting hurt was all too possible.

“Lydia, Stiles is like completely in love with you. Everyone knows it.” Kira reassured her. “I know it’s scary to like someone but you have nothing to be worried about. Sometimes you have to put yourself out there for something good to happen.” Lydia listened carefully to her friend. “If I hadn’t opened myself up, I wouldn’t be with Scott and I wouldn’t be friends with all of you guys. I probably would be all alone. And if I can put myself out there, I know you can. You have more confidence in one finger than I do in my whole body.” Kira finished and flashed her friend a genuine smile of encouragement.

Lydia returned her friend’s smile and nodded her head. She knew her friend was probably right but she was just so anxious about opening herself up. “I’m not as confident as you think but I appreciate that I give off that impression that I do. But I’ll try to keep what you said in mind.” 

“That’s all I ask. Now I think we should get back to tanning and the peace and quiet before everyone comes back and quiet is nothing but a distant memory.”

“That sounds good to me.” Lydia agreed and both girls returned to their tanning stance, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze. 

They were rudely interrupted about an hour and half later when they were assaulted with water guns and water balloons being hurled at them without warning. They had no idea what was happening so screaming ensued and after scrambling to get to their feet, Lydia and Kira discovered that Scott, Stiles, Liam, and Mason were the culprits. Just as they had stood up a water balloon had been catapulted at them and it exploded and doused both girls in water. It didn’t take much reasoning to figure out who the offender was. Stiles was the only one who wasn’t holding a balloon or a water gun anymore, his hand was still in the launching position, and he looked the most guilty. 

“I definitely did not mean to throw that last one.” Stiles told the girls, in awe of what he had just done. He was in trouble.

“You’re so dead.” Lydia told him before she and Kira ran toward them, overtaking one of their buckets that was filled with water balloons. “Kira, go get us water guns! Make sure they’re the big ones!” Lydia called out to her friend as she began to chase Scott the boys around the yard and tossing water balloons at them.

Soon everyone in the group was outside of the cabin in their swimwear and running around, chasing each other with water guns and water balloons. There was really no winning or losing, everyone was just trying to get everyone else doused in water before they themselves were. 

Lydia and Kira did however need to get back at Stiles for soaking them in water right off the bat. So towards the end of the water fight they decided to combine resources and they cornered him and sprayed them with the last of the water in their water guns and Isaac generously donated his last four water balloons to Lydia who happily pelted them at Stiles. He didn’t even protest that much, so it wasn’t quite as satisfying, he knew he deserved it. 

“Okay, okay, now that we’re done getting Stiles back can we please eat now? I am starving.” Malia told the rest of the group, patience was something she was still working on.

“Yes Malia we can go order food now.” Scott told the girl as he laughed at her impatience. “Come on let’s all go inside and get dried off and then we can eat.” He continued as they all walked back towards the cabin.

“You know you totally deserved that right?” Lydia questioned as she bumped up against Stiles briefly to get his attention before she glanced up at him as they strolled along, straggling behind the rest of the group.

“Yes. I mean, it was an accident technically, you weren’t supposed to stand up that fast and I lost my grip. It all happened so fast.” He joked back and she couldn’t help but shake her head and laugh. 

“Whatever you say, Stiles. Even if it was an accident, I still think you deserved to be pelted with water balloons a few extra times. I think Kira and I are totally justified.”

“Yeah I think I learned my lesson.” He said dropping his water gun on the pile by the sliding glass door that led from the deck to the main floor of the cabin where the kitchen, living, and dining rooms were. “I know to never pelt you with water balloons unless I also want to be hit with said water balloons. Message received.” He told her, opening the sliding glass door and motioning for her to go in first.

Stiles and Lydia went to their rooms to change from swimwear to dry clothes, Lydia taking the bathroom while Stiles remained in the room. Once Lydia was dry and dressed she made her way back to the main floor, the common room area and everyone was discussing dinner.

“Well since we’re all hungry now and can’t agree on what we want to get on our pizza, why don’t we all just go into town and eat there so we can order what we want.” Allison suggested, seeing that everyone was getting hangry and impatient. Everyone nodded their head and seemed to agree on that so that’s what they did.

Everyone piled into the vehicles like they had that morning and met up at the local pizza shop. The pizzeria was a decent size but they all sat at various tables in the restaurant, it was just easier and less overwhelming that way. They were the only patrons at the pizzeria other than an older couple and a family with three kids, which wasn’t surprising for the small size of the town.  
After stuffing themselves with pizza they wandered past a family owned ice cream shop and decided that they might have some room left in their stomachs after all. 

Lydia was standing outside the shop talking to Cora and Allison while Lydia enjoyed her scoop of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Stiles barreled out of the door, ice cream cup filled with four different flavored scoops of ice cream. “Lydia you have to try their cookie dough ice cream it’s amazing!” Stiles said excitedly as he propelled a spoon into her mouth that had opened to protest his actions. “Isn’t it amazing?” He asked as she tried to not look too alarmed and carefully ate the ice cream he had literally shoved into her mouth.

“Jesus Stiles, you can’t just shove ice cream into my face. What if I had been allergic to whatever you just force fed me?” She asked him, trying to sound appalled. 

Stiles rolled his eyes as he took a bite of from the scoop of rocky road ice cream. “Well that’s impossible because I know for a fact that you aren’t allergic to anything.”

“How do you even know that?” 

“Because you told me that you weren’t allergic to anything? Remember you said that after I told you I was allergic to that gross smelling perfume you were wearing that day?” He prodded as the rest of the group filed out of the shop, enjoying their frozen treats. Everyone proceeded to have their own conversations within the group as Lydia and Stiles continued theirs, with some people paying attention to it.

“So you weren’t really allergic to it were you? You just didn’t like the smell of it!” Lydia exclaimed, realizing Stiles had definitely lied when she practically saw the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out why he had let himself reveal that information.

“Well…well…oh come on it smelled so bad!” He tried to protest.

“Damn it Stiles, I threw away the whole rest of the bottle because I thought you were serious.”

“Sorry?”

Lydia rolled her eyes and huffed, no matter how annoyed she was something about him couldn’t keep her from staying that way. He was so frustrating but that is part of what made him the way he was and why she cared about him so much. “You are so annoying.”

“Uh would another bite of the cookie dough ice cream help?” He questioned, offering the paper bowl in her general direction.

“No… but cookies and crème might.” She countered and he gasped.

“That’s my favorite flavor.” 

“I guess you don’t want my forgiveness.”

“Fine.” He squinted his eyes and pretended he was super bothered but honestly he didn’t care. Actually he thought it was kind of cute that they were basically sharing ice cream right now. Eight year old Stiles would have an aneurism. 

Lydia took a bite and smiled at the taste, shooting him a snicker in his direction, like she had just won some contest they were secretly having. Then Stiles noticed the faintest drip of ice cream that was sitting on the corner of her lips. Without thinking he returned the spoon to the bowl and lifted his thumb to her lips and without even thinking, brushed away the ice cream that had been there. 

“Sorry, you just…you had some ice cream.” He tried to explain without blushing when he quickly realized what he had just done, but that wasn’t going so well. 

“Oh.” Was all Lydia could utter at first. She also wondered if anyone has just seen that or if it was all in her head but the adorable blush that was working its way to his cheeks said otherwise. “That’s, fine. Thank you.” She said flashing a genuine smile as she tried to come up with something else to say and as she tried to ignore any possible looks from anyone else in the pack. “Uh here, do you want to try the mint chocolate chip? I think it’s the only flavor you managed not to get.” Lydia told him, offering her bowl to him now, unsure of anything else to say. How did he manage to turn her into this pile of goo so easily and unintentionally?

“Ha yeah I think you’re right,” Of course she was, Lydia Martin was always right. “I will definitely try some of yours.” He told her as he dipped the spoon in the pale green ice cream scoop.

“Good; huh?” The strawberry blonde inquired.

“Delicious and almost as good as the cookie dough ice cream.” He said and Lydia countered with an eye roll and he just snorted out a laugh. 

“Guys you have to try the Earl Grey tea flavor, it’s insane.” Kira said, joining the conversation. From there the discussion went well and no one brought up the interesting moment between Stiles and Lydia that had happened. Lydia hoped Allison hadn’t noticed, but in her heart she knew huntress did and she was mentally preparing to be prodded about it when they got back to the cabin and were alone for a few minutes. 

Once everyone was done eating their ice cream and exploring the shops and businesses in the small town everyone filed back into the cars and headed back to the cabin. It had started sprinkling on the drive back and when they got back, the rain was at a heavy downpour and it didn’t look like it would be letting up anytime soon. So the group decided to get in their pajamas, plays some games and to maybe watch a movie. 

Allison stopped by Lydia and Stiles room after she had saw the latter exit to join everyone on the main floor. “Oh hey Allison. Are you going to see Lydia?” Stiles asked, passing her in the hallway oh his way downstairs.

“Yeah just seeing if she has any make up remover wipes, I must have left mine at home.” Allison lied, not that she really need too. But Stiles was more observant than most, she wasn’t taking any chances.

“Oh okay, well she’s in the bathroom, I think she should be out soon.”

“Alright, sounds good. Thanks.” She said walking past him as he nodded his head in reply. The door to the room had been left open and she sat on the bed and waited for Lydia to finish up.

“Hey Stile- Jesus Christ Allison you scared me. I thought you were Stiles!” Lydia explained as she walked out of the room’s bathroom.

“Sorry, it’s just me. But since we’re on the subject I think we should talk about Stiles.” Allison suggested as her friend went to her suitcase to retrieve her hairbrush.

“Why would we talk about Stiles?” Lydia asked, attempting to play stupid as she ran the brush through her long hair in the mirror above the dresser in the room.

“Come on Lydia don’t play dumb. You know that isn’t you anymore.”

“Fine what do you want to talk about then?” Lydia questioned with an exasperated expression on her face as she put the brush down on the dresser and came to sit next to her best friend on the bed.

“What was that all about at the ice cream place?” Allison raised an eyebrow and waited for her friend to answer.

“Okay that was all him.”

“But did you hate every second of it?”

Lydia opened her mouth and tried to protest but no words escaped she finally gave up and had to tell her friend “no”. 

“Lydia, do you like him?”

“Of course I like him. He’s a great friend and-”

“I mean more than just a friend. Do you like Stiles as more than just a friend?” Allison asked, annunciating her words carefully so her friend couldn’t avoid the question any longer. She sensed hesitation. “Lydia admitting you like him is not admitting defeat. I’m your best friend, you can tell me.” Allison encouraged, voice soft and ready to listen.

Lydia sighed deeply before answering. “Yes.”

“Okay so what’s the problem? It no secret that he still likes you.”

“I’m just afraid of getting hurt. If he hurt me I don’t know what I would do. I just feel so different than I’ve ever felt about anyone else and that makes it so much more scary Allison.” 

“But maybe that doesn’t have to be a bad thing. You just said it’s different than what you’ve felt before maybe that feeling is that it’s better.” The brunette offered.

“If it’s so much better than that means it can end that much worse.” Lydia said as she stood up and began to pace at the foot of the bed.

“Lydia it could be the best thing ever though. Don’t you get that?”

“I’m just so scared of how attached I am already and I’m scared because I’ve never ever felt like this before.” She paused again and sat back down on the bed. “Do you remember what you told me that night in the car when you were dropping me off?”

“Which night Lydia, there were a lot.” Allison said trying to think of what Lydia was talking about.

“That night after you found out about Jackson being the Kanima?” 

“Oh. You mean when I told you about what I was feeling for Scott?” She hadn’t really wanted to ask and she could tell Lydia hadn’t wanted to bring it up so blatantly because Allison was no longer dating the boy she had been talking about that night.

“Yes.” She said simply.

“Lydia that’s a good thing!”

“But look, that’s how you felt about Scott and you two aren’t even together anymore!” Lydia argued back.

“Okay that’s fair but that was me and Scott. That wasn’t you and Stiles. We were too different Lydia. You and Stiles though…And even if we did break up I don’t regret what we had for a second Lydia. Every minute I spent with him I’ll cherish. As much as I care about Isaac…I don’t think it will ever be like what I felt with Scott. That’s why you should just go for it and embrace it.”

“Allison…”

“No seriously. Who cares if he’s weird and has no fashion sense? You can’t go an hour without thinking about him and you count down the minutes until you see him again. That kind of stuff doesn’t just happen with everybody. You should know that.”

“I’m just scared Allison.” Lydia said, putting her head in her hands and sighing loudly. Allison carefully placing a hand on her back and rubbed soothing circles. This talk with Allison was a lot more intense than the one she had earlier with Kira.

“What’s the point of doing thing you aren’t a little scared of though Lydia? I mean this is all up to you. I see the way he looks at you and the way you look at him. There’s something there that’s undeniable. I won’t bother you about it anymore. It’s your decision. I’ll be here if you want to talk though. But I’m telling you this type of feeling doesn’t come around often and it’s scary but the scary things are usually worth it.” 

“Maybe…maybe I’ll try to be open minded and just see what happens this weekend.”

“That sounds like a good start. Just be open to good things. Not everything has to be werewolves and Druids all the time. Flirt a little if you want. I’ve never seen you so comfortable yet so careful around a guy before. I like it. It’s like you aren’t afraid to be you around him.”

“Well we are friends.”

“I know but you don’t have to just stay that way. Usually people who are friends first end up the happiest.”

At that moment Lydia’s phone buzzes with a text from Stiles, asking if everything is okay and if she and Allison are going to be playing Apples to Apples with everyone else. 

“Perfect timing.” Lydia joked.

“See how much he cares about you? Come on let’s go play some games.” Allison said standing up and taking Lydia’s hand to help her off the bed. 

When Lydia and Allison arrived at the bottom of the stairs they found everyone huddled around the island discussing what game they were going to be playing.

“So what are we playing guys?” Allison asked as she stepped towards Isaac and he lazily put his arm around her shoulders.

“Charades” Cora groaned, which wasn’t surprising, she did not seem like a charades type of girl. Lydia lightly pushed herself in between Kira and Stiles who both moved over for her willingly.

“But after that,” Kira began, “We’re going to play Apples to Apples.”

“Well okay, let’s go into the living room, we’ll have more room in there.” Scott suggested and they all nodded their heads and headed in that direction. They decided the only fair way to split teams was to make it girls against guy and since there was an extra guy, they elected Mason to keep score and referee if anything got out of hand. He didn’t want to play anyways and he was a fairly impartial guy so no one took too much issue was mad. Cora was sulking wishing she could have been ref instead of actually participating.

Everyone played the game for about an hour before people started getting burnt out or just too competitive. At one point Malia was yelling at everyone because they couldn’t guess that she was acting out the movie Finding Nemo, but all she had done is lie on the floor and flop around like a fish out of water. Also Stiles yelled at Isaac when he didn’t believe Isaac was reality portraying Batman. Despite that, it was mostly fun and the girls ended up winning by a few points.

After an hour of playing charades, and the girl’s victory the group decided to move on to Apples to Apples. Liam and Mason decided to play air hockey instead but everyone else headed to the kitchen and sat at the large dining table in the middle of the room. The game started out innocent enough and pretty tame but it quickly evolved into a mess of trying to win with the funniest cards, which ended up being a lot of innuendos, and those cards always won.

Throughout the night some people had their fill of the game and left to go watch a movie or to see what Mason and Liam were up to. It was around midnight when the last players decided to call it quits, having earned all of the green cards in the deck. The remaining five players had been Lydia, Stiles, Cora, Scott, and Kira and Lydia had ended up winning the last one. Although she would have loved to have kept playing had there been any of the green cards left. 

When the game was over and Lydia had made sure everyone knew it they headed to the living room to join the rest of the group who were all curled up on the couches watching the new 21 Jump Street. Lydia was growing tired by the minute especially once she leaned on Stiles’ shoulder, who paid no mind. 

“Let’s watch the second one!” Theo explained going up to the DVD player to take the disk out and to insert the 22 Jump Street disc. 

“Sounds like fun” Lydia yawned mid-sentence “but I am going to bed.” She told everyone, pushing up off the couch and towards the stairs. “Good-night everyone.”

“I’ll go up too.” Stiles said heading towards Lydia and where she stood near the bottom of the stairs.

“No its fine Stiles, you can stay up. I just need to go to bed, you don’t have to.” She told him when he finally reached where she was standing.

“Lydia, I’m tired too. Plus I’ve already seen both movies.” He informed her and she nodded in compliance and began to ascend the stairs, Stiles a few steps behind her.

Being that both of them were already in their pajamas, which was convenient so they both wordlessly moved to the bathroom to brush their teeth and Lydia removed her make up quickly. Once they were finished they immediately climbed right into bed, not having to turn the light off because they hadn’t even bothered to turn the light in the room on. Lydia climbed under the covers and Stiles carefully followed suit, trying to be respectful and not to crowd her space.

“You know I don’t bite right?” Lydia asked as she turned from her back to her side to face Stiles who was still looking up at the ceiling.

“That’s debatable.” He informed her, putting his hands behind his head as she tried not to be mesmerized by how long and gorgeous his eye lashes were. 

“Ha-ha.” She deadpanned before softening her face for a moment, not that he was looking. “Seriously though, you really don’t have to be worry about it.” She waited to see if he would say something but for once he wasn’t saying anything. “I mean would it be such a bad thing if you accidently touched me?”

“No…I mean. No.” He said softly before mirroring her position and turning on his side. “I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” 

“It wouldn’t though. I mean…” She paused for a second trying not to be too forward or too casual. “It would probably be really comfortable.” She told him softly.

“Probably.” He agreed.

“I mean it’s kind of weird to be in a bed with a guy without spooning or something.” She said with a soft laugh but he didn’t really return it. “Is something wrong?” She asked him when he didn’t respond.

“No it just…when I was with Malia she always made me be the little spoon and it was awful, I hated it.” Lydia laughed louder than she probably should have at the confession. “Hey! It’s not funny! It was emasculating!” He countered but her laughter was infectious and he joined in, unable to keep a straight face.

“It kind of is.” She giggled at the thought.

After their laughter calmed down after a minute or two she spoke up again, more serious now. “Well why don’t you try being the big spoon?” She asked.

“Well that might be kind of hard considering we broke up.”

“No not with her you idiot!” She exclaimed incredulously as he tried to read her face, suddenly understanding.

“Oh…you mean like…with…you?”

“Yeah with me, I don’t mind. If you don’t like it you can get out of it a lot easier if you’re the big spoon. But if you don’t want to you don’t have to.” She said the last part a little softer when he didn’t seem to be giving much of a response.

“No! I want to!” He said quite loudly, overcompensating for any lack of enthusiasm he had previously given off. “I mean…that would be nice.” He informed her, more quietly now.

“Okay.” She smiled softly before continuing. “You stay how you are on your side.” She told him as she turned quickly to her other side before instructing him further. “Now move closer so that my back is against your chest.” 

He did as she said and she felt her back make contact with his firm chest and torso. Their bodies lined up against each other now. “Like this?” He inquired hesitantly.

“Exactly. Now I’m going to bed my knees slightly and you can do that or keep them straight it’s up to you.” She said angling her head to see him better and as she did he moved his legs so they were flush against hers underneath the covers.

“What do I do with my arms?” 

“Hold on,” She said sweeping her hair over her shoulder so it would be less in his face later. “Well for your left arm, I would recommend putting it under my neck but that is entirely up to you.” She laid her head down on the pillow and he took her suggestion and slid his arm so it was between the bed and her neck but not so that her head was lying on top of it. “Yeah that’s good. If you feel like you need to move it you can put it under your head more if that’s more comfortable.”

“This is good for now I think.” He answered before holding up his right arm. 

“And this hand,” She grabbed his wrist with her hand and placed it carefully onto her waist. “Goes…here.” His hand was stiff for a moment before it slowly relaxed and felt natural where it was placed. Lydia’s stomach was filled with butterflies due to all of the touching between her and Stiles, but they were the exciting kind, the nice kind. “And that is how you play the part of the big spoon.” She explained, trying to maintain her cool.

“This feels a lot better than being the little spoon. More natural.” He said swallowing thickly.

“I think it works better when the taller person is the bigger spoon. I always like being the little spoon, which is good since I’m so short.” She explained.

“So should we…separate?” He asked, unsure of the right word to use.

“Well we have to go to sleep to get the full effect, the most accurate result and all. But if you want, we can go back to how we were.” That last sentence felt like it was less about the spooning and more about their ascension into something more than just friends. 

“Yeah I wouldn’t want to mess with the research. We should test it out…you know…to make sure you’re actually right and all.”

“Okay.” She agreed and smiled widely, something she was happy he couldn’t see.

“Now what?”

“Sleep.”

“Oh. Okay. Well…goodnight Lydia.” He told her as he thought about kissing her shoulder that was only covered by a thin strap from her pajama top, but he refrained. This was already pretty radical.

“Goodnight Stiles.” She responded before drifting to sleep. It came easy to her, she felt safe and comfortable in his arms. And he felt giddy at the feeling of Lydia in his arms, this was way better than being the little spoon, but honestly if Lydia was the big spoon, he’s not sure if he would even mind that much. She just made everything better for him.

 

The next morning Stiles woke up with to a strawberry blonde hair in front of his eyes, something he had only seen when his eyes were closed and when he was asleep. But this was definitely real and it smelled amazing. She smelled clean with a hint of perfume, the scene was just like the rest of her, intoxicating. 

God, he could not believe that he just spooned Lydia Martin all night, and she actually let him be the big spoon. If he wasn’t in love with her before, he definitely was now. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried to not feel his feelings for Lydia, the stronger they felt. And it got more and more difficult to ignore as time went on, especially since they just seem to be getting closer and closer. And he could swear she was always flirting with him, but it was hard to tell because they both naturally participated in a lot of banter.

Currently though Stiles was trying to figure out a way to leave and get a quick shower without waking the girl. A downfall of spooning, he made sure to note that in his head. He guessed things could have been worse though, at least nothing seemed to have “come up” during the night, which he was very happy about. That might have been embarrassing. Another downside to spooning he supposed. 

Stiles tried to sneakily remove his arm from under the strawberry blonde before being startled by an alert sounding Lydia. “Trying to sneak out?” She asked flipping over to face him and to let his arm that was under her, free. But his other hand still remained on her waist despite her change in position.

“No, I mean yeah but only to get a shower. I was just trying to be gentle; I didn’t want to wake you up.” He explained and she nodded. Their faces were now very close to each other and Stiles couldn’t help but think how easy it would be to get used to waking up to Lydia. She looked just as perfect as she did at every other time of the day, maybe even more. Face clear of make-up and she was still a knock out. 

“I guess I can forgive you.”

“How long have you been up?”

“Only for about an hour.” She shrugged.

“Why didn’t you get up?” 

“I didn’t want to wake you up either.”

“Oh. Okay. Well…thanks.” It was thoughtful of her to not want to disturb him, even though he probably wouldn’t have noticed since he’s quite the heavy sleeper.

“So did you sleep well?”

“Yeah, like really well actually.” He nodded as he thought about when the last time he had felt this rested and comfortable.

Lydia tried to contain a smile. “So the big spoon was better than being the little spoon?”

He couldn’t nod his head fast enough. “Way better. It was a lot more comfortable. But I mean maybe it’s because you’re so good at being the little spoon though.”

“I am pretty good at it.” She bragged.

“So it was good for you then though?” Oh god, he didn’t mean for it to sound like he was referring to sex, but that is kind of exactly what it sounded like. 

“Yes Stiles, it was good for me too.” She informed him, adding a laugh that allowed him to relax a bit. “I’m going to go get some breakfast, and a shower when you’re done, alright?”

“That sounds good.” He said as she rolled out of the bed, as well as his arms before tying up her long hair into a bun. “I’ll try not to use all the hot water.”

“You better not.” She winked before exiting the room to grab breakfast. 

Stiles tried to relax in the shower and appreciate the few minutes of alone time. Not for the reasons that come immediately to mind when you think of teenage boys and alone time in a shower. He was just trying to come to terms with the fact that he had just spooned Lydia Martin the entire night and was acting like it was totally normal and she seemed very happy with the experience. So he was currently in a weird state of confusion and happy. There was a lot of uncertainty but maybe this was all good stuff. Maybe things were looking up. His feelings for the girl had definitely not gone away and maybe his relationship with Lydia was less platonic than he thought. And that could be a really good thing. 

Passing the doors to rooms that were holding some sleepy supernatural creatures, Stiles made his way downstairs and to the kitchen to find Scott, Allison, and Lydia there in the kitchen. He smiled at the sight, as much as the others were welcome extensions to the pack; it was always nice to be with the people who had been in this shit from the beginning. People who knew the whole story and who he never had to fill in. Their familiarity was welcome. Even if Scott and Allison weren’t together anymore, they all still got along really well and he loved that. Something about the original pack was comforting.

“What’s going on?” Stiles asked as he sat next to Lydia on one of the barstools at the island, realizing he had come in mid conversation.

“We forgot to get food for tonight and so now we’re trying to figure out who has to go get it.” Allison explained as she took a sip of her coffee.

“Well I can go. I can take my Jeep.” Stiles offered.

“Hmm that seems like a lot of responsibility.” Lydia joked.

“Alright then, Mrs. Know-It-All, you can come with me. So you can make sure I don’t mess anything up.” When he said that Allison and Lydia shared a look but he tried to ignore it. He didn’t understand their secret silent language too well, but he felt like whatever look they exchanged had to do with him. Good or bad? He didn’t know so he assumed bad and tried to not pay attention to it.

“That sounds like a good idea.” Scott said. “Lydia’s organized, you can keep him in line.”

“Fine, I mean I know my presence is highly regarded, the least I could do is let you experience it for yourself.” She rolled her eyes before hoping off the barstool. “We can go when I’m done getting ready.” She said to Stiles this time before heading towards the cabin’s staircase.

Lydia came back downstairs around forty five minutes later and Stiles thought she looked stunning. She was wearing a long, flowy, pink maxi dress that looked amazing on despite her short stature and her strawberry blonde hair framed her face perfectly. “Ready to go?” Lydia asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to pretend that she didn’t notice that Stiles was totally just checking her out.

“Uh yeah, I’ve got the list. Let’s go.” He said, standing up from his position on the couch where he had been watching the news. 

The drive to the local Wal-Mart was nice and relaxing, they kept the windows rolled down and the music on loud, just enjoying the company and soaking in the feeling of an early summer morning before the heat became overwhelming. They had to drive a little bit further then they had the night before because the store was on the outside of the small town, but neither minded. Both just enjoyed how comfortable they could be with one another, either talking nonstop or not talking at all and just taking everything in. Every once in a while they’d sneak a glance at each other and smile with content.

“There really is a Wal-Mart just about everywhere huh?” Stiles wondered aloud.

“They are the cornerstone of cooperate America.” Lydia added as she motioned for Stiles to grab a shopping cart upon entering the store. 

Stiles grabbed a cart and started pushing it into the main part of the store. “You could live here and have everything you ever needed.”

“I’ll remember that when the zombie apocalypse rolls around.” She said strolling towards the produce section, headed straight for the watermelons.

“You should really know better than to joke about zombies.” He warned, half joking half serious. He figured zombies weren’t off the table if werewolves existed. 

“I hate to admit it but you’re probably right.” She told him but before he could celebrate she was pointing at one of the watermelons. “Okay pick up that one right there, it looks perfect.” 

He followed her instructions and lifted the one wanted into the cart. “Is that all I’m good for, lifting the heavy stuff.” He asked Lydia who scratched watermelon of the shopping list.

“No.” She paused and pretended to be deep in thought. “You’re also good for reaching stuff from the top shelf.” And with that she grinned up wickedly at him and sauntered away from him and he rolled his eyes and huffed dramatically before pushing the cart after her. 

“Well I’m glad I’m of some use to you.” He called out as he began to follow her to new location. The rest of the grocery shopping went similarly to that exchange, lots of flirty banter back and forth between the two of them during their outing. That was honestly the most fun Lydia had ever had grocery shopping in her whole life. Her mind couldn’t help but picture the thought of only ever grocery shopping with him ever again; it was a picture she could get used to if she was being honest with herself.

The only thing that was slightly annoying was that Stiles wouldn’t let her go past the candy aisle. “Lyds hold on, you missed an aisle.”

“No I walked past it because we don’t need anything from that aisle. I already got the chocolate bars for the s’mores, remember? You made me get an extra package.”

“Come on we have to go look. I’m sure no one would complain if we brought back candy, in fact they would probably thank us.” 

Lydia opened her mouth to protest but Stiles has already started down, she groaned in response and followed him anyways. When she finally reached him he had managed to put a large package of Reece’s Cups into the cart and she could find room to argue with that choice, they were pretty amazing. After about five minutes of browsing in the aisle, Lydia finally managed to get him out of the aisle with only a few bags of candy in the cart.

More flirty banter occurred in the checkout line as Stiles tried to convince Lydia that he now needed candy from there but she was able to reason with him this time luckily. After finally paying they loaded the Jeep up with the groceries and headed back to the cabin.

 

When they returned and put the groceries away everyone was outside of the house and participating in some sort of activity. Stiles wandered outside, as he had already been wearing his swimming trunks at shorts, and Lydia went upstairs to change into a deep purple bikini before heading out the back to the lake.

Lydia spent the rest of the afternoon floating around on a large inflatable raft made told hold quite a few people to lounge in. Everyone sort of came and went, participating in other activities throughout the day. Everyone else busied themselves with other outdoor activities around the cabin, such as swimming, playing basketball, volleyball, soccer, exploring the surrounding wooded area. Lydia stayed content relaxing on the raft as it floated in the lake. 

At some point in the afternoon, just as Scott and Kira went to start grilling and cooking (since Stiles and Lydia had generously went to the grocery store earlier that morning) for dinner. Around that time Stiles had swam out to where Lydia was floating on the raft with Isaac and Allison. He was trying to convince them to come play a game of soccer with everyone. Mason had already decided he wanted no part in it so it was crucial that Stiles convince all three of them to join.

As he suspected, Allison and Isaac had been easy to convince. Lydia was not so willing to join in. They had already exited the raft and began to swim in the direction of the shore. “I said no.” Lydia told him for the fifth time already.

His eye twitched in annoyance but his response was quite calm, “We’ll see about that.” He grabbed one of the handles and began to slowly swim with it back towards the edge of the lake, toward the direction of their cabin.

“STILES! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” She squealed.

“We’re going to play soccer! And you’re going to like it.” He yelled over his shoulder and she tried to protest but it wasn’t working to well. 

The arrived at the shore a few minutes later, Stiles huffing and puffing a bit as he tried to catch his breath from the vigorous effort he had just put into moving the raft as everyone else watched to see what was happening. “Just because you dragged me over here doesn’t mean I’m playing. You just made it a lot quicker for me to get to dinner.” She challenged.

“I’m going to give you one more chance to cooperate.” She rolled her eyes before he could even finish his thought. “Lydia, come on let’s go play soccer.” 

“Mmmm. No.” She said, emphasizing the last word. She also had a brief flashback to the winder formal of sophomore year.

“Then you leave me no choice.”

“About wh– OH MY GOD!” And that was all she could utter before Stiles flipped the raft over, sending Lydia into the water. Stiles laughed at first and then when she resurfaced she looked like she was going to kill him and he quickly panicked and headed for the shore. 

He was almost there, water shallow enough he could stand and it hit his waist. But that was when she caught up to him and jumped on his back tackling him into the water while everyone else observed and watched. 

“Okay I’m sorry!!!!” He yelled when they both finally came back up for air.

“Yeah you better be!” She said shoving him. “Now go get the raft and bring it by the cabin before it floats away.” She shoved his body lightly in the direction of the raft.

“But…Lydia I-I-I…”

“Do you want to go in again?” She asked, referring to the water.

“Fine, I’ll go get it.” He groaned and headed in that direction as Lydia smirked the whole way to the sandy shore in search of her towel and cover up.

Much to Lydia’s dismay she did end up playing a bit of soccer with everyone, minus Scott, Kira, and Mason of course. She, Stiles, Theo, and Cora had been on a team together against the remaining four friends. Their team did not end up winning by the time Scott called out that it was time to eat dinner. 

“See that wasn’t so bad.” Stiles said knocking his shoulder into Lydia’s but after the initial bump he just kept his arm in contact with hers the whole way into the cabin and the subtle physical contact caused her to go lightheaded for a second.

“Mmm it was okay.” She informed him. 

“You don’t have to admit it; I know how you really feel.” That last part sent her thoughts a million miles away from her feelings about soccer and back to her feelings about him. 

“Well whatever helps you sleep at night Stiles.” She told him before walking inside and finding a seat at the dinner table and Stiles plopped down right next to her. When he did that she decided to have a little fun and test a theory. During the whole dinner she kept casually touching or leaning into him, she was doing so to see if he would pull away and reject, not react at all, or return a gesture. It always seemed like they were touching or holding hands when a threat was looming and he never pulled away then but maybe that was because of fear and to help calm her as well as him.

The first time, she brushed her hand against his when she reached for a salt shaker. He jumped slightly at the sudden contact but he didn’t push it away. A few minutes after that she let her arm casually brush against his and this time he didn’t flinch in the slightest. Then toward the end of the meal she let her thigh rest against his but she never moved it away, just kept it there. She smiled softly when she had done that and a few minutes later he let his left hand drift to his own thigh but let some of fingers splay out on her thigh comfortably while she continued to eat. But she was smiling inside; the contact was just so nice. It was nice to have it wanted and reciprocated.

After everyone made Mason and Liam clean the dishes. Lydia and Stiles and a few others who had been in their swimwear still went to go change into dry clothes. Lydia opted for a tank top and shorts, quite different from her usual attire. Stiles’ outfit was all his usual self though, a t-shirt and jeans and he had grabbed a hoodie before heading out of the room.

They all participated in another game or two of soccer until it had gotten dark and that is when they started the fire, complete with s’mores and hot dogs cooked on a stick over the fire. And that was a complete mess, hot marshmallows and melted chocolate tasted good but it got absolutely everywhere. Lydia half wondered if what happened the night before at the ice cream shop would happen again and cause more awkwardness, considering they were sitting next to each other around the fire pit. Isaac had come around with some damp paper towels before that could happen.

After that they decided to play capture the flag with some glow sticks they had brought with them for the occasion. It was a game that everyone had fun participating in. The game turned out to be incredibly fun and after quite a few rounds they decided to take a break and gather around the fire pit again before moving on to the activity of hide and seek. 

“Hey it’s a campfire; I think were obligated to tell scary stories.” Mason chimed once everyone was gathered around the pit. Lydia began to shiver in her tank top, the night was far chillier than the daytime had been, and her tank top and shorts ensemble was not doing her any favors. She tried to lean into Stiles, seeking more warmth, and he was always so warm and comforting.

“I don’t think that sounds like such a good idea.” Kira told him.

“What, why not? We have to tell scary stories! It’s a camping tradition.” He argued back.

“Our lives are practically a scary story Mason, that’s why.” Stiles told him as noticed leaned against him a bit and was shivering lightly. The conversation around them continued on and he spoke softly to only Lydia. “Are you cold?” He asked while his eyebrows were furrowed in concern. 

“Yeah a little.” She nodded softly. “It’s okay though, you’re warm, it’s helping.” She informed him with a soft smile. God he loved that smile.

“Here,” He began and he moved slightly away from her and began to shrug off his sweatshirt. “Take my sweatshirt, I mean if it doesn’t clash with your outfit or anything.” He handed her the garment.

“What about you won’t you be cold?” She took it hesitantly from him.

“Nah I’m fine. I was kind of hot from the running around anyway, you take it.” He said as she nodded and began to put her arms through the holes and zipped it up about halfway. She looked absolutely adorable in his hoodie, with the sleeves going past her hands, and the body area swallowing her, it was just too much.

“What?” She asked, looking up at him and trying not to giggle at the fact that he was just staring at her and smiling.

“It’s nothing.” Except it was everything. “Are you warmer now?” He asked and she nodded her head earnestly to covey that she was indeed warmer now. He looked back up and tried to pay attention to the conversation and then he felt Lydia lean into him again and then she grabbed his hand and loosely intertwined their fingers. He looked down at her again but she paid him no attention, but she looked perfectly content and his heart swelled at the sight and the feeling. It was nice to see her so relaxed and comfortable and it was really nice that he was the one she seemed to feel so comfortable with.

A few scary stories did end up getting told but most were pretty tame. One though made a few people jump, Lydia being one of them and when she did she just gripped Stiles’ hand a little bit tighter, not that he minded in the slightest.

A little while later they were playing hide and seek and Stiles had failed at finding a hiding spot but he spotted Lydia still looking in adorable in his hoodie was kind of huge on her, she was trying to hide behind quite a large tree. He knew there was room for both of them to hide behind it if they were careful.

He tried to sneak up carefully in order not to scare her but she jumped pretty high when he whispered her name. Luckily no banshee scream was let out.

“God Stiles! What are you doing?” She whisper-yelled at him. She felt she was constantly yelling about something crazy he was doing.

“Shhh! I couldn’t find a hiding spot.”

“You can’t hide with me!” She protested.

“Why not? There’s no rule book that says I can’t.” He told her quietly.

She was about to argue some more when they both heard Cora’s voice calling out. Stiles instinctually grabbed Lydia by the waist, covered her mouth with his other hand, and positioned themselves so their sides were leaning against the large tree. After a few minutes Cora ventured off somewhere else, looking for someone else to find on the property.

He had expected her to yell at him some more about the rules of hide and seek but instead she was just kind of staring at him like she wanted to ask him something, he knew she was staring because the moon was making her green eyes really pop.

“What?” 

“Can I ask you something?” 

Those were words that had the potential to ruin lives. “Uh yeah.” He said hesitantly, palms beginning to sweat at not only the question but the serious tone of voice.

“Do you like me?”

“I like you.” He told her honestly. That was a weird question to be serious about.

“No I mean...” she took a deep breath before continuing, “do you still like me?”

“Like as in?”

“Like when you had a crush on me in the third grade Stiles.” 

“Oh…well I mean it’s…different now. We’re friends.” He could not for the life of him explain his feelings because he didn’t know what she wanted his answer to be.

“Is that it?” She glanced down for a few seconds before meeting his gaze again. He couldn’t handle that look she was giving him, the one of self-doubt. And before he could respond she was talking again. “Because I really, really like you.” She confessed and her eyes became glassy, like she wanted to cry. Oh. She was afraid of what his reaction was going to be, like she was afraid of being hurt. Suddenly he knew exactly what she wanted his answer to be. And they could discuss things in greater detail later but right now he only had one way of answering her.

Before he knew what he was even doing he was slowly leaning down towards her lips and her eyes widened at first, in confusion, but once his lips were only centimeters from hers she closed the distance herself.

Their lips collided and she swore she could see fireworks. Their lips overlapped and it became a slow drawn out dance where they just enjoyed how simple yet perfect it was. And how good it finally felt to be doing this, instead of staring at each other and wondering what the other was thinking. This kiss was just conveying everything they weren’t saying at the moment. It was like the crescendo of all of the built up feeling and it felt so damn good.

The crickets chirping in the background and hearing the faint calls of their friends on the other side of the cabin, it was all a perfect soundtrack to a kiss based on mutual care for each other. It didn’t turn into an open mouth kiss, neither wanting to ruin the perfection of the moment. But it was amazing none the less. Lips were sliding against one another; soft and supple, noses were bumping. And when it finally ended it was because they were out of breath and couldn’t keep from smiling. 

“Does that answer your question?” He asked as he rested his forehead against hers, breathless.

“Uh huh.” She smiled widely, at a loss of words for the moment. Her hands were both on his chest still, just trying to catch her breath. She knew they would talk more in detail about feelings later but that kiss reassured any doubts or concerns that she had.

They stayed like that for a few more seconds before Cora barged in on the moment, finally having found them behind the large tree. She hadn’t seen what went down but she suspected something had. But she would keep it to herself; they deserved to have whatever moment they had just had to themselves.

Everyone had been found soon after and some of the group decided to keep playing. But Stiles and Lydia had decided to gather around the fire pit again with Scott, Kira, Allison, and Isaac. This time Stiles was sure to wrap an arm securely around her and she leaned into him further than she had before and they may have even shared a few pecks here and there. She saw the looks the others gave them but she’d wait until tomorrow to fill everyone in on the update in her love life. But currently she was going to just enjoy being with him and finally not wondering anymore. He loved her and she loved him and she never felt happier.

Maybe camping wasn’t so bad after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please write a review and tell me what you thought of this chapter or of this story as a whole!


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